Because I Knew You
by Elven Muse
Summary: Elphaba returns to New York City, and finds two of her old acquaintances ready to hurt a blonde woman... Elphie, of course, saves her. Rated M for sexual references, drugs and alcohol. Mostly in later chapters. Gelphie.
1. New York City

**A/N: Ummm...hi! This is my first fanfic...period... And I got the idea while playing on the PlayStation. It's unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine, and really AU, because the characters are in the real world, not at Shiz. Or in Oz in general. New York, actually. Also, yes, Elphie is green, but there's a reason for that and it will be displayed in later chapters. Reviews are love. **

Elphaba roared down the blackened streets of New York City, feeling the thrum of the motorbike's engine through her entire body. She enjoyed this, the private rides that she took at night-time, when the skies were dark and the stars were lost behind the artifical light that emanated from streetlamps.

Avenue A. It had been months. But she had missed the worn buildings; the dark shapes of the homeless huddled under threadbare blankets for warmth. To her, it was home. She hadn't grown up here, rather, escaped here at the tender age of 17. Her dad was an asshole. A mysogonist asshole. Her mother was dead, and her sister, born without arms, was in the care of a nanny in Los Angeles. Elphaba didn't like to dwell on any of those memories.

Elphaba slowed the bike as she saw something up ahead; it looked like a scuffle. As she steered the bike to the side of the road, the single headlight illuminated the figures: two men, and a woman; a short blonde. The engine cut off, bathing the street in silence that was broken by the grunts of the men and the pathetic whimpers of the girl.

"Avaric."

The shorter of the men turned. Grinning, he said "Well, well... Looks like the princess has returned to the humbled kingdom. What's tha matter? Miss me? Look, Fiyero. The green girl."

And indeed Elphaba was green. She pulled off her helmet, allowing her luscious black hair to tumble down her back. She heard the girl, their victim, gasp as Elphaba's skin was reflected in the light of a nearby streetlamp. Emerald skin covered Elphaba's high, defined cheekbones, and travelled down her neck, disappearing beneath the black leather jacket she wore. Even her lips were green, albeit a darker shade than her skin.

The other man, Fiyero, gazed at Elphaba with obvious disinterest; clearly more interested in the blonde that they had planned to defile. "Charmed, as usual."

Elphaba tilted her head briefly to the side, staring at the new tattoos Fiyero had gotten since she last saw him. Blue diamonds covered his forehead in a wreath-like pattern; making him appear as some sort of royalty. Although, he always considered himself to be the Prince of Avenue B. Her gaze slid past him, to the trembling blonde. She had to be under five feet tall, and her blonde hair fell in golden ringlets about her shoulders. She was wearing a pink tank top, with a matching mini skirt, and silver-sequined four inch heels.

Elphaba's gaze travelled again to Avaric, and a wolfish grin overcame her features. "You choose them prettier every time, Ric. Care to share?"

Avaric's face broke out in a grin that rivalled Elphaba's. "I knew you couldn't resist, E. Go ahead." He gestured towards the blonde, who had backed herself against the wall of one of the buildings; her eyes tightly shut. Elphaba advanced, placing one hand on the blonde's waist, while the other brushed over her face, sweeping some of the blonde hair out of her eyes as she whispered, "What's your name, girl?"

The blonde leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering open. She sucked in a gasp as her eyes met the green girl's; barely visible, but highlighted in a dark brown, the colour of overturned soil. She opened her mouth to speak, but her words only came out in the barest whisper.

"M-my name's Ga- Galinda."

Elphaba's head tilted as the blonde's eyes bore into her. They were blue, like a sky at midday, or a stream that trickled through the woods, undisturbed. They were hypnotising, and beautiful. Like her name.

"Galinda..." Elphaba tried the name out on her tongue, pleased when it rolled off easily, and wonderfully. "Don't worry lass... I won't hurt you..."

Avaric, who had been listening intently to the whispered exchange, called out, "Don't lie Elphaba! That'll make it worse for her."

Elphaba, ignoring Avaric, leaned her head closer to Galinda's, whispering "You're safe. Don't worry." And then she kissed her. Just the slightest brush of lips, but it sent a jolt of electricity through Elphaba's body. She crouched slowly infront of the blonde, her hands brushing the expanse of her thighs that were not hidden under the short skirt.

"Please..."

The whimper came from above Elphaba, but whether it was a plea to stop or to continue, she didn't know. Regardless, Elphaba's hands travelled down and cupped the backs of Galinda's knees, her cheek resting on the soft skin of Galinda's left thigh.

Faster than Avaric, Fiyero or Galinda could comprehend, Elphaba had risen, drawn the gun the was hidden in her boot, shot both the men in their kneecaps and pulled Galinda over to her bike. Elphaba slung her leg over the bike and handed the helmet to the blonde girl, who immediately put it on and hopped on the bike behind her saviour. She jumped a little as the green girl kick-started the bike, and wrapped her arms too tightly around Elphaba's midsection as the bike lurched forward, propelling them both into the inky darkness.


	2. Yeah, I'm Green Why? Long story

**WHOO LOOK! Revamp of this chapter. I wasn't happy with how it was and I think I'm finally, FINALLY going to commit to my writing. I'm really sorry for neglecting this and you guys for so long. I'll promise to try harder now I have oodles of free time! 14/2/2012.**

The bike sped through the darkened streets of Bohemian New York, disappearing from view as fast as it had appeared. Elphaba never slowed the bike, not even to turn corners, and Galinda never relinquished her death grip on Elphaba's waist. She couldn't, even if she wanted to; not when this beautiful stranger had saved her from an almost certain fate.

Galinda couldn't stop her mind from wandering to the kiss that Elphaba had stolen from her, however light or brief. It had sent a tingle down Galinda's spine that she could not begin to comprehend: nobody had ever made her feel like that, not with just a simple kiss. And when Elphaba had crouched in front of her, Galinda knew that she wanted her. She had begged, begged Elphaba to take her, but the green girl had misinterpreted and saved her instead.

She wrapped her arms tighter around Elphaba's waist as they rounded a particularly sharp corner; her helmet clad head pressed further into Elphaba's back as her stomach lurched. It felt like hours, although it could have been mere minutes; time passed in a blur with the darkness pressing in on them from all sides, but Galinda finally felt the bike slow and veer to the right. She sighed with the realisation that she would have to leave the comfortable embrace she had Elphaba in. As the bike slowed further, and stopped, Galinda gingerly unwrapped her arms from Elphaba and unstraddled the bike; pulling off the helmet and wrapping her arms around herself as a bitterly cold breeze hit her body.

Galinda felt Elphaba brush up next to her, and she sighed in relief as she felt something warm being draped over her shoulders and the helmet taken out of her hand. She pulled the material tighter around her, and guessed by the smell of leather that it was Elphaba's motorcycle jacket. In the darkened street she reached out until her fingers found the bare skin of Elphaba's forearm, and she grasped; pulling herself towards the other woman and resting her cheek on the green shoulder.

Elphaba stiffened ever-so-slightly at the contact, but allowed it, slowly walking forward with the blonde latched to her arm like a child and the pack from her motorcycle slung over the opposite shoulder. She understood the blonde's caution, animosity even at the omnipresent darkness that pushed towards them from all sides, a suffocating force. However, like Elphaba's skin her eyesight differed to that of a human's. In darkness, her world was lit up in eerie green and purple hues almost akin to viewing something through night vision goggles. She could see their surroundings effortlessly, and guided the small woman over to the door which stood, to Elphaba, illuminated with smatterings of violet across its surface. Adjusting the weight of the bag on her shoulder, she pulled the apartment key out of the pocket where it had lain unused for months. Unless keying the side of a prized Ferrari counted as usage.

The door was quickly opened, a whisper of air smelling of a forest greeted them and Elphaba inhaled it deeply, the smell comforting her and welcoming her home. She could already hear the rustle of her friends within the darkened room and ushered her charge inside, eager to reunite with the things that had kept her company for nine years. She could sense the blonde's fear at the unfamiliar noises and inability to see, and quickly stepped forward to flick a switch on the wall, bathing the room in soft light. Elphaba smiled while Galinda gasped- the room was alive, the walls, floor and ceiling crawling around like worms. Elphaba's hand shot forward as a vine tangled around her wrist, and she allowed herself to be pulled to the centre of the room, surrounded by her beloved plants. Leaves moved towards her like hands, begging for attention, a caress, like peasants to the hand of a ruler; and she obliged, having been away from them for far too long. The plants loomed throughout the room as thick growths, tangled amidst the furniture and hanging from curtain rods and ceiling fans. Galinda stared, unable to comprehend the mechanics behind such a thing, the room seeming to respond to the slightest sound or movement from her green skinned saviour.

Elphaba looked back to where the blonde had frozen in the doorway and extended a hand to her with a small smile. Galinda moved forward without her own consent, drawn to the stranger who saved her as a moth to a flame, her hand fitting snugly within Elphaba's own. Green hands laid the pale hand palm up in the air, and an errant vine snaked its way down towards the pair, flicking itself lightly over the exposed skin. The plants throughout the room rustled loudly before becoming motionless, the room descending into a near silence disturbed only by the rushed breath of the blonde and Elphaba's calm, soft inhaling. Elphaba lifted her hand and rested it on a leaf near her head, and the rest quickly whispered in an invisible wind before retreating and leaving the two women standing relatively alone.

After a few moments of compatible silence, Galinda turned to Elphaba and flung her arms about her, dragging her into a crushing embrace.

"You saved my soul. How can I ever repay you?"

Elphaba's arms remained by her sides, hands clenching into fists in uncertainty and anger at the thought of the intentions of the men she had shot.

"They would have killed you. I rode with them once, their hearts are evil. They would have stripped you of your dignity and then your life."

The blonde flung herself backwards, her face a picture of confusion and shock.

"Wha...? I thought they just... wanted... Oh, my..."

Elphaba, breaking her stillness, reached forward, grabbing Galinda by the shoulders before she had a chance to fall. Steering her towards the leafy sofa, Elphaba said "Sit. Before you fall. You've been through a lot; possibly more than you can comprehend." The blonde only nodded, numbly allowing herself to be pushed onto one side of the couch, while Elphaba sat at the other.

They sat in silence, until Galinda turned to her saviour. "Why are you green?"

Elphaba's hands clenched in her lap as she took a calming breath. "My..._father" _she spat the word. "Was a botanist. But he was also a liar and a poisonous human being. He, like all of us, wanted to amount to something. Wanted to be known and renowned for something. My mother used to tell me that he was the perfect gentleman at the beginning of their marriage; kind and gentle and unselfish. After she found out she was pregnant with me, he changed, she said. He became more reclusive, keeping secrets, spending hours locked in his laboratory. He became obsessed, she said, with preventing the decay of human kind by joining our bodies with that of the environment, infusing us with plant-like qualities to preserve us. 'Plants can live for hundreds of years,' he said. 'Think of what humanity could do with similar lifespans!'

Elphaba took another breath, shaking with barely concealed anger. "That _monster_... he developed a serum with the intent of blending human and plant DNA. He injected her with it while I was in her womb... he poisoned me through her. He was so pleased when I was born... so fixated by my verdigris. He was determined that I was the link between humanity and plants, so sure I was a positive result for his experiment. But when that experiment ended another began. He used me, tested me, I became little more than a puppet for his research. At least it protected my mother. She tried to stop him, but the serum has left her weakened and she never regained her strength. She died giving birth to my sister, Nessarose, who was born with her legs all tangled. She's never been able to walk, spent her life confined to a wheelchair and in the care of a nanny I hated my father for it. I hated him. I learned hatred at a very early age."

Galinda reached across the expanse of the couch and rested her hand on Elphaba's, squeezing it gently. Elphaba smiled weakly bit gratefully at the other woman and gestured to the crook of her elbow where clusters of dark scars marred the skin around her veins.

"But he didn't suspect what his serum had done, how it manifested itself in my body. I'm strong... as strong as an oak tree, I can move like the wind through leaves. But I can talk with plants, control them if I want. Mostly I ask them to help me. They helped me to escape my father. He kept plants, climbing vines in his lab. We strangled him-" Galinda gasped. "- and I left. Stole that motorbike, came here. I grew these plants from seeds. They've kept me company for almost a decade. Except... except when I met those guys from tonight. Fiyero Tiggular and Avaric... Somebody. They were party animals, I met them at a bar. We rode together for two years. Until... this one night, like tonight. They said they had a surprise for me. Took me to a warehouse, and there was this girl, naked, blindfolded and tied up. She was crying, begging. And they just laughed. Did... horrible things to her and I could only watch. And they left, laughing, forgetting that I was even there. I helped her, I let her go. She's my best friend now. I've wanted to do that to those two since that night, to cause them the same amount of pain that they caused Eden... And anyone else before her. But it will never be enough, they..."

Elphaba trailed off, springing from the lounge and beginning pacing with a murderous look on her face. Galinda seemed frozen, her mouth open but unable to form an adequate sentence to offer peace to the emerald skinned woman. She settled for standing and moving in front of the anguished woman, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Hey. You've used your... talents for the better. You've helped people. You're a good person, no matter what has happened to you."

Elphaba stared into Galinda's eyes, studying them and seeing that the blonde's words were true. She exhaled sharply, her anger ebbing away.

"Thank you. Look, you can stay here for tonight. I'll loan you some of my clothes. I'm not letting you go out alone again."

She took the short woman's hand, leading her to the bathroom door. The blonde smiled her thanks, walking into the bathroom and closing the door. Elphaba dug a spare set of pyjamas; a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeved shirt that were guaranteed to be too big for the blonde, from her motorcycle pack and left them in a neat, folded pile outside the bathroom door. The familiar creaking of the pipes told her that the water had started, so she walked back to the couch, laying down with her arm slung over her eyes. It wasn't long before she drifted off into a restless sleep, not noticing the silent figure that slipped through the front door...


	3. Reality Shower

**OMG you guys! It's literally been over a year since I updated this story! I am SO SORRY! I could make a billion excuses right now, but I shouldn't :/ Gosh, if there are any subscribers left out there: HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER! It's short, real short, but I PINKY SWEAR that I'll upload another one, maybe two (depending on my mood) tomorrow! Once again, I am SO SORRY you guys for making you wait so long!**

Galinda relaxed as the hot stream flowed over her, washing away the mental filth that coated her body and had snaked its way into her mind. Those men had come so close... if Elphaba hadn't shown up, Galinda wasn't sure where she would be right now.. or if she'd even be alive. Looking down, Galinda took note of the bruises that marred her petite wrists and, grimacing, scrubbed her fingers over them in an unproductive effort to remove them like some kind of stage make up. Realising the futility of the action after a few moments, she gave up and continued with her shower. Rubbing her face, make-up smeared across her hand and she the reality of everything crashed over her like a wave, driving her to her knees in heaving sobs. Water swirled around Galinda and into the drain while she remained all but motionless on the tiled floor. Her tears seemed never ending, and she didn't move until the water began to run cold from high above her, freezing her to the bone. Hurriedly going through the motions to shut off the numbing flow, Galinda soon stepped out of the shower and wrapped the large towel around herself, blushing a little as she realised that she was dwarfed by it.

Opening the door of the bathroom slightly, she saw the small pile of clothes Elphaba had left for her and retrieved them, hurriedly donning them; pushing the sleeves up as they fell past her hands by a good four or five inches. Wiping her face of any excess tears, Galinda walked out of the bathroom, halting in fear as she saw the hooded figure poised above Elphaba's slumbering form.

She screamed.


	4. A Face from the Past 1

Elphaba's eyes snapped open, her hands immediately circling the throat of her assailant. Her eyes flashed with mercilessness and she gritted her teeth, feeling the intruder's hands close about her wrists. Pushing backwards, Elphaba was soon straddling the other figure, her hands tightening further, slowly draining the life from her.

"Who sent you?"

The reply was weak, strained.

"El.. El...ph..."

The green girl's eyes widened as she let go, pulling the hood from the other figure who coughed and spluttered.

"Eden?"


End file.
